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Wednesday, 1 September 2010

A real orange flavoured cake

In addition to trying out some new runner bean recipes, I have been busy baking too. I’ve been teasing D for the last month or so about making a Summery Orange and poppy seed cake. The delay was twofold, firstly I could not locate poppy seeds in any of the health stores. This one informed me that they no longer stock poppy seeds, but couldn’t give me the reason why. I couldn’t even find any at the supermarkets, then we went on holiday.

Eventually I found some and got round to making it and we were not disappointed, it was certainly worth the wait.I don’t often make cakes using my food processor, but this time as the recipe suggested it, I decided to bring it out of the cupboard. It certainly made it easy, none of that softening the butter and blending it with the sugar, but it wasn’t all perfect. When the time came to stir in the poppy seeds manually, I did not do a very good job as some had congregated in certain places, it didn’t spoil the look or taste of the cake, but I noticed them.The soft orange citrus twang was refreshing and the crunch of poppy-seeds popping in the mouth was rather nice too, except for the bits that got stuck between the teeth.

And here’s another light orange flavoured sponge, topped with rhubarb and a crunchy crumble topping. I made this Rhubarb and orange crumble cake a couple of months ago and had not gotten round to post it. I thought I better do it now as the rhubarb season is nearly pretty much over. If you do decide to give this cake a go, please do not omit the orange rind. The orange is essential here, as it really does add another dimension to this cake.Orange and poppy seed cakeMakes about 12 sliceIngredients225g butter or vegetable margarine175g caster sugar3 eggs350g self raising flour1 teaspoon baking powderA pinch of slatFinely grated rind and juice of 2 large oranges50g poppy seedsMethodGrease and line a 2 ½ pint loaf tin or a 7 or 8 inch round tin. Put all the ingredients except for the poppy seeds in a food processor and process until smooth and mixed well. Fold the poppy seeds in thoroughly. Spoon the mixture into prepared tin. Bake at gas mark 4 for 50 minutes to an hour or until well risen and firm to the touch. Turn out and cool on a wire rack.The author suggests that the finish loaf could be decorated with a little glace icing made by blending sifted icing sugar with enough orange juice to give a smooth coating consistency, but I preferred it just the way it was. andRhubarb and orange crumble cakeServes 8Ingredients175g butter125g caster sugar125 self-raising flour2 eggs, beatenFinely grated rind of 1 unwaxed orange400g rhubarb, chopped125g plain flour30ml granulated sugar½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

MethodGrease a 8 inch spring-release cake tin and line the base with greaseproof paper. To make the cake, beat 125g of the butter, the caster sugar, self-raising flour, eggs and orange rind together until smooth and well mixed. Spoon into the tin.Spoon the rhubarb evenly over the cake mixture. To make the crumble mixture, rub the remaining butter into the plain flour, then stir in the granulated sugar and the cinnamon. Sprinkle the mixture over the rhubarb. Bake in the oven at gas mark 6 for 45 minutes to an hour or until firm to the touch and golden brown. Serve warm. Both recipes are slightly adapted from Janet Smith’s Good Housekeeping Complete book of Vegetarian Cookery

I love orange in cakes and baked goodies. Both of these recipes sound delicious, Mango, and I noticed I have some rhubarb making a second coming in the garden, so that crumble recipe will be given a try.

About Me

est. 2008 a Welsh Not For Profit Blog: showing the versatility of vegetables and fruits by sharing and creating delicious platefuls of food inspired by the many diverse 'ethnic' world cuisines from sweet to savoury!
I have over 1500 vegetarian and vegan recipes. Please explore my culinary blog space with some honest random thoughts and things thrown in too.